Senior Coordinator, Public Programs at The National Audubon Society

The National Audubon Society is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects birds and the places they need today and tomorrow. We work throughout the Americas towards a future where birds thrive because Audubon is a powerful, diverse, and ever-growing force for conservation. Audubon has more than 700 staff working across the hemisphere and more than 1.5 million active supporters.

North America has lost three billion birds since 1970, and more than 500 bird species are at risk of extinction across Latin America and the Caribbean. Birds act as early warning systems about the health of our environment, and they tell us that birds – and our planet – are in crisis. Together as one Audubon, we are working to alter the course of climate change and habitat loss, leading to healthier bird populations and reversing current trends in biodiversity loss. We do this by implementing on-the-ground conservation, partnering with local communities, influencing public and corporate policy, and building community.

Audubon is committed to a culture of workplace excellence, where our talented and diverse staff are deeply engaged with a strong sense of belonging. The birds Audubon pledges to protect differ in color, size, behavior, geographical preference, and countless other ways. By honoring and celebrating the equally remarkable diversity of the human species, Audubon brings new creativity, effectiveness, and leadership to our work throughout the hemisphere.

This position is a member of Audubon’s Mid-Atlantic Regional team and is located at the Discovery Center. The Discovery Center was formed and operates as a collaboration among Audubon and The Philadelphia Outward Bound School and the Strawberry Mansion Community. Opening in 2018, The Discovery Center is in East Fairmount Park, adjacent to the Strawberry Mansion reservoir, an important stop on the Atlantic flyway for migratory birds and an Important Bird Area (IBA).

The Senior Coordinator will play a lead role in the development and execution of public environmental action programs at the Discovery Center. The Senior Coordinator will also be responsible for leading a paid high school internship program. Audubon co-manages this program with the Philadelphia Outward Bound School. It provides students with lessons in environmental science, exposure to outdoor leadership skill-building, experiences in on-the-ground conservation work and information about environmental and outdoor experience career paths.

All of the Discovery Center programs support Audubon Mid-Atlantic’s work to address the impact that climate change and habitat loss have had on birds and people and to create resilient ecosystems where birds thrive and all people have access to nature and a voice in environmental stewardship. At the Discovery Center, Audubon staff collaborate with conservation and policy colleagues to create environmental programming focused on the impact of climate change on Philadelphia and solutions that mitigate that impact, including natural climate solutions such as healthy riparian buffers, biodiverse green space, native plants, renewable energy and bird-safe buildings. Public programs also introduce families and adults to local birds, bird migration and birding. Public programming takes place on evenings and weekends, with more activities from April through October.

Additionally, the Senior Coordinator will work with the Public Programs Manager and other Audubon staff to build on-site experiences that welcome first-time visitors, encourage repeat visitors, and forge new partnerships with other organizations. The Senior Coordinate will also co-facilitate the Community Engagement Committee with Philadelphia Outward Bound staff; this committee consists of local residents who provide programming feedback and ideas and facilitate outreach to neighboring communities. The candidate must be a strategic thinker who is skilled at building internal and external partnerships, has good judgement and is an effective written and verbal communicator.

Compensation:

$50,000-$55,000 / year

• Support interpretive planning, including temporary and permanent exhibits and signage, that enhance the visitor experience and encourage repeat visitation as needed.
• Co-facilitate, with Philadelphia Outward Bound School, the relationship with the Community Engagement Committee, whose purpose is to work with The Discovery Center on programs that serve and benefit the community.
• Develop curriculum and deliver lessons plans in partnership with Philadelphia Outward Bound School for Environmental Leaders Program (ELP), the two organizations’ comprehensive high school internship. Work includes recruitment, hiring/selecting, supervising, training, and evaluating service-learning ELP students (summer and afterschool), summer Alliance for Watershed Education Fellows. Collaborate with Audubon, Philadelphia Outward Bound School and Discovery Center staff to design mission-aligned community-focused public programs at The Discovery Center.
• Lead and participate in partnership meetings for collaborators. Build connections and networks and create environmental programming with community partners at community schools, libraries, recreation centers, committees, and other appropriate community constituents for programmatic opportunities at the various off-site locations.
• Support conservation programming on-site and in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood as educational opportunities for youth and families.
• Supervise the work of young adult fellows and interns.
• Prepare monthly, annual, and other periodic reports analyzing and summarizing program attendance, successes, challenges, and other relevant information.
• Assist the Public Programs Manager in establishing evaluation methods and measures for all on-site public education programs, including the internship and fellowship programs.
• Collaborate in developing proposals and written reports to funders; understand and prioritize deliverables related to grants.
• Tuesday through Saturday work schedule. Evenings as required to accommodate our public programming schedule, particularly from April to October.
• Partner with Audubon staff to incorporate equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging into our programs.
• Participate fully and productively in staff meetings, planning efforts, and other shared staff duties.
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant environmental field or education is preferred.
• 3-5 years’ experience working with older children and/or adults on environmental education programs or community engagement initiatives.
• Experience with mentoring or positive youth development preferred.
• Experience in conservation, ecology, ornithology strongly preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills that can be adapted to reach a wide range of individuals and used to build consensus. Ability to synthesize and communicate technical and complex information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Capable of communicating interpersonally with internal colleagues and external clients. Capable of building rapport and representing the Discovery center in a professional manner.
• Ability to work in a dynamic fast-paced environment and have strong organizational skills in order to prioritize project tasks.
• A self-starter, who takes initiative and demonstrates dedication; a problem-solver who works to see projects through to completion.
• Commitment to conservation and the Audubon mission.
• The desire to educate diverse audiences, with an emphasis on young people, about the natural world and conservation.
• Ability to maintain professional, positive, welcoming, and friendly working relationship with public, volunteers, and local/regional community organizations and school groups.
• This position requires weekend and occasionally evening work as the job demands.
• A current first aid and CPR certification is valuable but would be willing to participate in certification training within 90 days of start date.
• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite and experience working with digital photos and social media.
• Must accompany/lead/supervise groups and individuals on field trips on varied terrain with or without accommodation at the Discovery Center .
• Willing and able assist with loading/unloading/hauling equipment over moderate distances with or without accommodation.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and/or ability to provide reliable transportation to locations in the Philadelphia region.

This position is a union role represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The National Audubon Society is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination, inclusion and equal opportunity and actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search.

The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users.  If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Accommodations@audubon.org. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

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